On this day, 82 years ago, August 23, 1943 (July 23, 1943 in the lunar calendar), the Battle of Kursk ended. Soviet aviation carried out assault The 1943 war was different from the first two years. After two years of fighting, both the Soviet and German sides understood each other's combat effectiveness and understood each other's tactical thinking. At this point, the two sides are mainly competing for strength, supplies, or national resources, that is, the country's military and economic potential. What is important is that at this stage of the war, both sides can roughly calculate what kind of battles the other side can fight under what circumstances, and several battles of different scales can be launched at the same time. In comparison, the Soviet Army's calculations of the German Army are more accurate. Because the Soviet Army is fighting on the mainland, the German Army is somewhat uncertain about how much logistics can support the front line and how much battle capacity the rear can support the front line. However, the German army was far away from home and deep into the hinterland of the Soviet Union. There were only a few supply lines. The Soviet army had a relatively clear calculation of what scale of the battle it could fight in which direction and how long it would last. The Soviet General Staff Headquarters calculated that in the summer of 1943, the German army could only support a decisive battle against Kursk arc-shaped line of defense, and the German army could only support the offensive forces when attacking Kursk from north to south; if they were unable to attack in front of the arc-shaped line of defense, they would take a defensive stance. As the decisive battle approached, both sides mobilized tanks. The preparation of the armored troops became the highlight of the preparations for the decisive battle. Nazi Germany has always flaunted the army, and this army rode the world with tank power. Its tanks have swept through Poland, Western Europe, the Balkans, and also shown off in North Africa. In the early days of the Soviet-German War, the mighty Nazi tank army once pressed straight into the city of Moscow. Among them, the "Tiger" and "Leopard" tanks seemed to be invincible. They were not the most advanced, but the most practical. Now, half of Europe is producing aircraft and ammunition for the Germans, and tank manufacturing plants operate 24 hours a day. Half of Europe's resources, half of Europe's skilled technicians, and half of Europe's military industry masters are all used in the development, improvement, finalization and mass production of aircraft, tanks and "Ferdinand" self-propelled artillery. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union was also a tank power. Soviet tanks have never been favored by others, and the outside world does not know much about them. However, it was only after the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union that they learned that there is a sky beyond them. The Soviet KV heavy tanks have thick armor, strong firepower, and simple and strong parts, which are enough to make German tanks daunting. The Soviet-made T34 tanks are not heavy, but they are fast, have a large armor tilt, and are almost impossible to penetrate. In 1943, the Soviet Union's tank production capacity had surpassed that of Germany. It could not only make up for losses on the battlefield in a timely manner, but also equip a large number of troops. At the turn of the spring and summer of that year, the Soviet Union had a record number of 9500 tanks and self-propelled artillery. In the Kursk Arc, the Soviet and German sides each concentrated a large number of tanks, and the German tank divisions numbered more than 10. To this end, Stalin's guiding ideology was still defense. In the early morning of July 5, Zhukov received another piece of information. According to a captured soldier of the 6th German Infantry Division, the German attack time was about 3 a.m. on July 5, which means that the German army would be in an hour. It will start in full swing. Zhukov saw that time was running out, so he had to strike first and report later. He first issued an order to implement counter-preparations to the front line, and then called Stalin for instructions. Stalin agreed with his "counter-preparations" decision. The front line of the position was silent, which was the unique tranquility before the decisive battle. For this decisive battle, the two sides invested a total of 4 million troops, 13000 tanks and self-propelled artillery, more than 6000 guns and 12000 aircraft. At this moment, as the start was about to start, the silence made the veterans feel scared and the new recruits feel uneasy. At 2:20, Zhukov issued a counter-preparation order. In an instant, a thrilling explosion shook the earth, and the battle in the Kursk arc began. According to confessions captured afterwards, the Soviet assault completely surprised them. The German army had been considering how to launch a pre-emptive attack on the Soviet army. Just as they were preparing to attack, they did not expect that the defending party would attack first. As a result, their artillery suffered heavy losses and most of their communication, communication and observation systems were destroyed. But Zhukov regretted it. After that, he kept complaining that he had made too much bets. If the fire were fired later, the German infantry would get out of the bunker and the tanks would climb out of the waiting area, the effect would be even better. This move by the Soviet Army did not make the German army give up the "Castle" project. Although its launch rhythm was disrupted for a while, it quickly stabilized and continued to proceed step by step. At 4:30, German combat aircraft flew over the Soviet defense area and fired bombs and fire, and German artillery opened fire. The German army's goal is very clear-Kursk, as the Soviet Command's previous analysis, their attack point is placed at the bottom of the Kursk arc of defense. The German army south of Kursk attacks north along the railway line, and the German army north of Kursk attacks south along the railway line in an attempt to encircle Kursk. There were 50 German divisions entering the battle, including 16 armored and motorized divisions. However, after a full day of onslaught on July 5, there was no breakthrough in the north and south wings of the Kursk Arc. Comparing the two sides, the German army in the south fought more tacitly, causing the Soviet army to suffer greater losses. It is not surprising that the German army in the south, which originated from Belgorod, was commanded by the Soviet army's old enemy, Marshal Manstein. On July 6, under Manstein's personal command, fierce fighting broke out in the direction of Oboyan, with hundreds of aircraft on both sides simultaneously. Tanks and self-propelled artillery participated in the battle. On July 7, Manstein joined a new tank group, aiming at Oboyan, which was the gateway to the south of Kursk. If the German army captured Oboyan, Kursk would be hard to say. German tanks broke through the Voronezh Front Army's first defense zone and wedged into the second defense zone. Oboyan was in urgent need! Vaduddin threw all the reserves he could catch into the Oboyan dangerous area before barely blocking the opening. On July 10, Manstein became obedient. Instead of opening his mouth so wide, he concentrated his troops in a narrow area. If the hammer could not break it, he stabbed it in with an awl. In front of the tip of the awl is an unknown small village called Prokhorovka. At the critical moment of the battle, the village of Prokhorovka was in a critical area. Once Manstein opened up this area, he could bypass Oboyan and approach Kursk. The small village suddenly became the focus of competition between the two sides. July 11th. The Vorozhne Front Army saw Manstein's intentions and urgently transferred the tank troops in the reserve and the 5th Guards Tank Army to the direction of Prokhorovka. This tank army consisted of about 800 T34 tanks and self-propelled artillery. They rushed to the fields near Prokhorovka on the morning of July 12 and collided with roaring German tanks. In the sky above the plains, planes were against planes; artillery against artillery, infantry against infantry in the plains; but the battle was particularly fierce and fierce, tanks against tanks. There are two accounts for how many tanks were put into the Battle of Prokhorovka Tank. After the Soviet Union, one account was 1200 and the other account was 1600. Not to mention which number is closer to the truth, what is important is that after this tank battle, Manstein's old capital was basically exhausted, and there was no hope of breaking into Kursk from the southern flank. A few days later, Hitler ordered him to withdraw his troops to the defensive areas where the attack had been launched. Even so, his fate was stronger than that of the north flank. In front of the Orel Arc, there were already two Soviet Front Armies-Bryansk and the Western Front Armies. They turned into offensive on July 12, and the Central Front Army in the Kursk Arc turned into counterattack on July 15. The three front armies advanced towards Orel from three directions. Orel could have launched at the beginning, but due to the hasty counterattack, the progress was slower than expected. On the southern flank of the Kursk Arc, the counterattack by the Voronezh Front Army and the Grassland Front Army was launched very late and was not launched until August 3, 20 days later than the northern flank, but due to sufficient preparation, progress was rapid. On the north and south wings of Kursk, one counterattacked first and the other counterattacked later. The first was slow and the latter was fast. As a result, the task was completed on the same day. At 6 a.m. on August 5, the vanguard troops of the Voronezh Front Army broke into the city of Belgorod. Also on August 5, the Bryansk Front liberated Orel. Zhukov felt a little regretful about this matter. When Orel was liberated, the Germans could have been surrounded by a more stable fight, but Stalin could not wait any longer. He said that our task is to drive the Germans out of our territory as soon as possible, and when the enemy is further weakened, we will encircle them. In this way, the German army was expelled from Orel. On the evening of August 5, to celebrate the liberation of Orel and Belgorod, Moscow fired a salute. The 120 cannons fired 12 shots in unison. This was the first time in the Soviet-German War that a salute was fired to congratulate the Soviet army on its military achievements. From then on, it formed a system. For every great victory achieved by the Soviet Army, Moscow's 120 cannons would always sound 12 times in unison. The salute was being fired, but the Battle of the Kursk Arc Line was not over. It would continue for more than half a month. The Soviet army continued to develop its results from Orel and Bergodro. On August 23, Marshal Konev's troops recovered Kharkiv, ending the largest battle on the Soviet-German battlefield. This battle eliminated the main German bloc that Hitler had high hopes for politically and militarily, and when the task was completed, the arc in the Soviet front disappeared, forming a new and stronger front. Zhukov was deploying the Soviet defense in the direction of Kursk. In the front of the Kursk assault headquarters, the Soviet Central Front Zone. On July 5, the German army broke into the Soviet defense by 6 to 8 kilometers during a strong attack. The production of the Soviet "Tu" series bombers In the spring and summer of 1943, the German Army had a total of 294 divisions, of which 196 divisions were fighting against the Soviet Union. Kharkiv's German bloc was eliminated on the evening of August 5. In order to congratulate the liberation of Orel and Belgorod, Moscow fired the first salute of the Patriotic War. The largest tank encounter in World War II. The Soviet army achieved victory in the large-scale tank encounter. The Soviet army launched a counterattack. On July 12, in Prokhorov, the 5th Soviet Guards Tank Army collided head-on with the German SS Tank Army and the 3rd Tank Army